Sifter.



G. B. WHEELER.

SIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. 1915.

Emma mm. 5,1916.

l/VVEIVTOR J, flea/ ye W I? TTORNE V8 ings when the sifter GEORGE BERNARD WHEELER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

- SIFTER.

Application filed December 8, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Sifter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to sifting devices and particularly to sifters for sifting salt, soap, powder and the like where limited quantities are desired from time to time, and has for an object the provision of an improved arrangement whereby any desired quantity may be secured and when the device is not in operation the discharge openings will be closed.

Another object in view is to provide an agitating member arranged in the receptacle and forming part of'the sifter, which will agitate the material and which provides a distributing chamber adjacent the discharge openings so as to hold back the majority of the salt or other matter being sifted from the discharge opening.

A still further object in view is to provide a sifting device with openings and a loosely mounted plate for covering the openis in an upright position, the plate being adapted to be used alone or associated with a locking mechanism for locking the cap of the sifter in position and against removal or with agitating members to form a sifter without locking mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sifter embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1, certain parts being broken away; Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the structure shown in Fig. 1,

theparts being shown inverted; Fig. 4 isa detail structure of the stirrer;

perspective view of the stirrer removed,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view through Fig. 2 on line 5- Fig.6 is a fragmentary side view of part of the retaining band and surrounding parts of the container; Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section through a slight modification of the invention to that shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view through Fig. 7 on line 8-8, the same showing the I Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section through the upper part of a further modified form of the invention to that shown in Fig. 7 Fig. 10

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5., rate.

Serial No. 65,718.

is an inverted fragmentary sectional view through part of the sifter top disclosing the arrangement of the walls and the perforations.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 1 indicates a container which may be of glass, metal or other material and which is preferably provided with a threaded upper'end, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and 7, so as to receive a threaded cap 2 provided with apertures 3. The apertures 3 are formed as more particularly shown in Fig. 10, namely, with walls at larger on the inner face than on the outer face whereby salt or other granular material is guided to the openings. Cap 2 is intended to be screwed into place or unscrewed in the usual manner. Tn forming the apertures 3 in the top of the cap the top is preferably depressed so that the lid 5 may rest on the peripheral portion 6 and thereby close the cap. The center of the cap 2 is provided with an eyelet 7 which eyelet also extends through a thin strip or bar 8, which bar extends to the side of the cap and then downwardly to the outer part of the container 1 where it is formed into a casing 9 forming part of a lock hereinafter fully described. The bar 8 is loosely held in eyelet 7 so that the cap may be rotated to a certain extent but cannot be entirely removed without breaking the bar 8. The eyelet 7 also acts as a, guide for a shaft 10 provided with a thumb member 11 and rigidly secured by solder or any other suitable manner to the stirring member 12.

The stirring member 12 is formed from plates 13 and 14, as shown in Fig. 4, said plates being slotted so that the plates may be interlocked to form a four;bladed stirring member. Each of the plates is provided with apertures 15 and with a roughened edge 16 so that when the device is rotated or moved the. salt or other material will be properly stirred. Connected in any suitable manner with the plates 13 and 14, tongues passing up disk 17 having Fig. 3, thus providing through apertures 3 to a position exterior of the sifter. This prevents the granular matter in the sifter from packing in the aperture 3 while allowinga free movement of the salt to these apertures. It will be observed that the thumb member 11 together with shaft acts as means for rotating or moving the stirrer 12 and also 'asmeans for holding the lid 5 in position. When the sifter is in an upright position, as shown in Fig. l, the lid moves downward by gravity and covers the openings 3 while *the lid moves away from the cap 2 when the sifter is inverted, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the granular matter may, freely escape from the sifter.

' The container 1 is provided with beads or raised portions and 21 between which a band 22 of-metal or other suitable material is placed, saidband being provided with notches 23 for accommodating the projections 24 and 25 extending from' the respective beads 20 and 21. By this construction and arrangement the band 22 cannot rotate; The ends of the band 22 are connected together as shown in Fig. 2, namely, by having one ,end bent over for forming a hook 26 and the other end 27 fitting therein. An aperture is formed in both of the ends through which the screw 28 is passed and held in a rigid position either by a nut or solder, said screw being adapted to enter a 1 nut 29. Nut 29 is provided with a wa"shershaped base 30 and a squared upstanding portion 31 for receiving a key whereby the" nut may be rotated when desired The washer-shaped base 30 also is engaged by v a spring 32, "which spring bears against the turned-over ears 33-01? the casing 9; This construction forms a simple efiective lock whereby the cap 2 cannot be removed without operating nut 29..

In Fig, 9 will be seen a slightly modified form of the invention in which the bolt 10 is provided with a'thumb member 34 and a nut or enlargement 35 holding the same in place. A lid 5 is provided and is loosely mounted on the shaft 10 whereby when the device is in an upright position the cap will be sealed and when inverted the lid will move away from the cap so that the granular matter therein will be freely discharged In Figs. 7 and 8 a further modified form of the invention is shown in which the structure is similar to that shown in Figs. 1' and 3 except the stirrer 35, which is formed from a single piece of sheet metal coiled as more particularly shown in 8 so that there will be stirring edges 36 and 37. In addition, the stirrer is formed with apertures adjacent which upstanding wall.- 38 are provided, whereby a further stirring or loosening effect will be produced which is especially desirable in granular matter of the nature of salt, which packs more or" less in wet weather. This form of stirrer is connected with shaft 10 and is arranged acts in the double capacity asmeans for a holding the lid in position and as a power shaft for the stirring member.

2. In a sifter of the character described,

a container provided with an open end, a

cap removably connected with said open end, said caphaving perforations, a stirringmember arranged in said container, said stirring member being provided with a transverse plate at the upper end, said transverse plate being formed with upstanding portions or legs whereby the stirring member is spaced from the cap when the sifter is inverted, and a power shaft extending through said cap and engaging said stirring member for operating the same.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE BERNA RD WHEELER.

Witnesses:

JOHN Mnsranzan, EMMA P. STRETCH. 

